Beautiful World
by Kuti
Summary: As long as she had him by her side, this was her beautiful world. Post AC. Cloud/Tifa.


**Final Fantasy Advent Children: Beautiful World**

**Author's Note: Hi everyone. This is my first story for this genre. Since I started watching Advent Children again, my obsession for FF VII reawakened. It is definitely one of my video game of all time and I could never forget it. I decided to write this fic when I heard a song made by Hikaru Utada called "Beautiful World." I was looking through youtube when I happened to stumble on it. The song was used to promote the new Evangelion movie I think. Once I heard that song and looked at the lyrics, I instantly thought of Cloud. So I created this fic. Anyways, enjoy! ^_^**

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What is a beautiful world? Tifa would always phrase that question every time she looked at the world. Throughout her lifetime, she experienced everything but beautiful because her life was nothing more than a roller coaster experience. She dealt with a world filled with love, hate, wars, vengeance, betrayal, guilt, sorrow, sadness, and hypocrisy. People were not perfect as they seem. Every day, the world around her reminded her of all these imperfections. But, she wouldn't give it up for anything else.

Those very thoughts ran through Tifa's mind as she gazed at the beautiful starry sky from her comfortable spot on the cool, soft, green grass in a completely open field near Kalm. This was one of the places that Tifa came to as a retreat from her city lifestyle in Edge to help ease her mind. This was also the closest she could see the full beauty of the stars aside from Nibelheim. It was quiet and peaceful compared to the usual bustling sounds that surrounded the city.

Tifa decided to have some time for herself and took a day's walk to Kalm, which was not far from Edge. Barret came over and decided to babysit Marlene and Denzel for her while she took this time for herself. By the time she reached the grassy plain, it was already dark, with the stars shining brightly above her. Since then, she had been lying there, gazing at the star with unspoken interests.

Slowly, she let her eyes close as her thoughts began to drift. _"It's only been a few months since then…"_

To Tifa, it felt like ages ago since calamity struck. She almost lost her life because of her selfless, courageous deed to protect Marlene from one of the remnants. Those few months were the turning point in which the problems she was experiencing with her family come together, her family's life were in jeopardy, problems and feelings finally came out into the open, and fighting off a "monster" that was supposed to be dead several years ago. Most of all, few months had passed since Cloud Strife finally forgave himself and released himself from his guilt over losing Aerith Gainsborough and Zack Fair.

Tifa remembered the very day when Cloud's behavior suddenly changed. After Meteor, he was the one who suggested to start their lives anew and live out their normal lives. This was something Cloud must had an inclining for since he lost most of his adolescent life living in an experimental cylinder case. She remembered how Cloud would know when she was troubled from her mind and would always point out how strong and stable she was and how she should be her normal self. Because of him, she was able to overcome whatever guilt she had and move on with her life. It seemed like he was happy and eager to restart his life. However, as the months passed on, including the reopening of her bar in Edge and the opening of Strife Delivery Service, Cloud visibly changed, making him look older than his actual age. His eyes no longer held that happiness. He was more subdued than ever before and never told her about his problems or feelings. This prompted arguments between them. They were not getting along since his sudden change.

However, Tifa tried her best to balance everything out by not mentioning anything about Cloud's sudden change. When Denzel came into her family, she thought everything would be all right after Cloud gave her that reassuring smile she hadn't seen for months since his change. But that was only façade to what's to come and the foreshadowing of the events that took place few months ago.

Tifa didn't mean to let her feelings out like that to Cloud when she finally meets him again, face to face. She began discussing how he shouldn't run away, pointing out so many things she bottled inside that she could visibly see Cloud's body stiffen slightly.

"_Is it us or the memories?"_ was one heartbreaking phrase that truly set everything in motion that prompted Cloud to take action.

Her thoughts about the past abruptly stopped. Tifa reopened her eyes to find that her eyes were a bit watery. She rubbed her eyes to dry them off. She was still lying down on the grassy plain under the starry sky. She didn't think she would doze off like that, let alone think of the past events. From the looks of the sky, it looked like she was dozing for a good amount of time. She frowned worriedly. Everyone would be worried by now.

"You're finally awake."

The sound of a voice beside her made her sit straight up. She looked into the direction of the voice and found herself gazing into a pair of blue, glowing eyes she knew too well. Right beside her was none other than Cloud. He was seated right next to her, leaning back against his arms.

"Cloud," she spoke. "How did you-"

"Kind of figured it out," he simply said as he glanced away from her eyes back to the starry sky. "You'd go through anything just to see the stars."

Tifa's eyes widened and immediately turned away, blocking the growing blush on her cheeks. "A-ah…"

"Marlene, Denzel, and Barret were getting worried."

"Sorry," Tifa said guilty as she placed her chin up against her knee. "I didn't mean to stay so long. I didn't realize the time…"

Silence fell between them after that as the two childhood friends gazed into the night sky, with the stars twinkling like ever before. Edge's lights blocked the shininess the stars projected, making them invisible from the people and making the sky look plain and dark. Tifa hadn't seen the stars for a while since her busy life. Now, it was a great opportunity to see them without any interruptions.

"Nibelheim," Cloud suddenly said, causing Tifa to turn to him.

"Hmm?"

"The stars look exactly like Nibelhiem's," he said in a nostalgic voice.

"Yeah, they do."

Again they were in a companionable silence. Tifa smiled as she remembered two years ago, after they rescued Aerith and escaped Shinra, it was dark like this as they arrived Kalm. She found this spot while her friends decided on a place to stay. She decided to stay back and look at them for a while

Tifa noticed then that Cloud turn his head away from the stars. "Does it bother you?" he suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?" Tifa asked curiously.

"That the stars remind you of the past?"

It was quite a powerful question, especially Cloud who rarely speaks more than a sentence. She knew exactly where his question was going to. She nodded her head in understanding. Of course, the stars would greatly remind of her old hometown that was burnt down to the ground 7 years ago by Sephiroth's wrath. For Cloud and her, it was the most traumatic event from their past.

Despite the sad memory, there were some events that were happy memories that Tifa was thankful for. One, Cloud and her both made a promise to each other under the stars 9 years ago, bringing them closer even though they weren't that close when they were kids due to other preventing factors. Second, even though she didn't know it, he came to rescue her 7 years ago. Third, on that final night before the battle against Sephiroth near Northern Crater, they were able to look at the stars again, just him and her alone. There were so many reasons that she could answer.

In the present, she was thankful she was able to meet Cloud again. He was gone for a while due to the long delivery he had to do. She was worried and it started to build during the passing days. This was when she decided to come out here to let her worry out, wishing she could meet Cloud again to settle her worry-wart personality.

"It reminds me how stupid, weird, and weak I was. I still am," Cloud said in an admonish voice, closing his eyes as if he was trying to block his view from the stars.

No, she couldn't let him say that. She couldn't let him be negative again about himself. "Cloud…"

"I don't know why I'm feeling like this," he said. "I guess…I'm feeling…a bit down…"

"You must be tired. You've been gone nearly 3 weeks with all the long deliveries you had to do. And now, I've added more stress to you. I mean, you searched for me…since everyone was worried."

Cloud then looked at her. "It's not…! It's not that I'm tired…or it's your fault. I-I mean…it's never your fault...or anything…" He looked away again, as if ashamed.

Tifa knew that look of his. "Brooding in your thoughts again?" she asked, causing Cloud to look at her with an arch eyebrow. Tifa simply smiled and let out a small giggle. "You're like a book, Cloud. You should try and read yourself one of these days." Cloud simply scratched his head. Tifa noticed his expression was slightly less tense than the last time. It made her feel better that she was making him feel better.

"I was…" he started. "I was worried about you…"

Tifa's eyes grew a bit. Worried? A thought struck went through her mind. She knew where this conversation was going.

"I thought about so many things that might happen to you. When I saw you lying here, I thought you were-"

Again, he stopped mid-sentence and looked away again with that shameful look on his face. Tifa continued to lay her eyes on him, watching him change from one emotion to the next. He reacted in such a subtle way that it intrigued Tifa.

"I was thinking…what if the same thing happened again. What if I couldn't help you? What if I couldn't protect the people I care about? I know that I no longer have Geostigma holding me back, I can't help-"

"_Can't help himself from thinking himself as a person who cannot do anything," _Tifa thought knowingly. "_Cloud…"_

"Hm. I feel like I'm going back to the way I was, wanting to become Sephiroth, Zack, or even those heroes from those mangas…"

"_You're wrong…"_

"But, I can't be like that. I'm just weak who can't really decide on anything. No one would need a weak person like me…"

"_You're wrong, Cloud," _Tifa continued to talk to herself as she continued to look at him, not bothering to look at the stars. "_You have so many good points about yourself. You just don't realize how much everyone needs you…"_ The way he was right now; he wasn't perfect at all. But, she wouldn't change him at all. To her, he was beautiful, just like the stars she admired so much. Just like the world she loved despite the many flaws. The world doesn't need to be perfect. It made people become stronger. It made people's imperfections look beautiful. She truly loved this world because she loved this imperfect Cloud.

"Even if you are indecisive, even if you had many failures in the past, even if you are weak, that doesn't stop you," Tifa finally spoke up. His eyes went to hers. She noted the surprised look in his eyes. Of course, she was directly looking at him. That was what she wanted. She wanted him to look into her eyes to know that she was about to say was true.

"Nibelheim, Nibelhiem Mountains, the Mako Reactor, Midgar, AVALANCHE, 7th Heaven, Don Conera's Mansion, Shinra, the Turks, Rocket Town, The Forgotten City, Edge…I can list everything that you accomplished and made a great change in people's lives," she said determinedly. "You know what you did, Cloud. And nothing you did was nothing less. You put everything in your heart to accomplish what you need to do. They're not the best choices, but people aren't perfect. They make mistakes. Whatever you experience will make you stronger. You will never know what you are incapable of unless you try. You did just that while fighting Kadaj and the other remnants."

Her voice was determined and livid. She was never this determined to tell Cloud what she sees in him. She remembered so many times she wanted to say so many things to Cloud. But, she was quite indecisive herself, thinking it could only bring more trouble. So she kept her mouth shut and locked whatever feelings she had. For some reason, tonight, she strongly wanted Cloud to feel that he was not a weakling; that being like this was okay; that every experience had a painful event, but won't kill you; that he should give everything a try, even if it's a lost cost. He always tried, right?

"Can you see that everyone is not looking at you as a freak of nature? Cloud, no one ever thinks of you as being less, or weird, or weak. You're Cloud. That's who we come to know. Cloud Strife. The imperfect person that I lov-"

That was when Tifa finally caught herself. Her mouth hung wide open as she realized what she said in front of Cloud. She almost confessed what she truly felt. Immediately, she turned away, trying to hide the growing blush from him. This wasn't supposed to turn out like this. Why did she go ahead and say those words? Now what would he think now? Would he think that whatever she said about him was only to get him to love her?

She didn't bother looking back. She didn't want to see how he reacted. Quickly, she got up from her spot on the ground and walked a few centimeters away from Cloud. Thinking of what she said involuntarily made her cross her arms around her torso as if the weather suddenly turned cold when in fact it was warm. She wasn't supposed to direct the conversation to her hidden love for him. It was supposed to make him feel better, not force him to love her. She thought about it for a moment before sighing in resignation.

"Everyone loves the way you are, not just me alone," Tifa quickly covered. "The accomplishments that you achieved up to now outweigh what you failed in the past. Denzel looks up to you not only because you are strong but because you gave him another opportunity in life and start anew. To him, you're his hero. Marlene looks up to you because she knows what you are capable of. Everyone counts on you. That's why…"

Tifa regained her confidence after seeing that and decided to turn to him, giving him a smile and a warm look in her brown bright eyes. "People do like the way you are. Don't sell yourself so low. You are not we-"

Before she could even finish her thoughts, her head was suddenly light-headed as the thoughts she had were gone into thin air. Her body suddenly felt weak. Her world seemed to be lifted the moment her thoughts were interrupted when Cloud Strife kissed her.

Tifa didn't know how he'd gone quickly from his spot on the ground to her side. She didn't expect him to kiss her at all. It truly felt foreign and she was shocked and tense at the sudden act. But, slowly, her body began to relax as she let herself go with the flow, submitting to Cloud. Slowly, Tifa could feel Cloud gently broke the kiss. She opened her eyes to find his eyes were on her, glowing that magnificent hue of his despite being infused with mako. She was shocked when she looked in his eyes. She'd never seen it before, but he held something there that showed to her clearly. They were soft and compassionate. She never had seen him show such expression in his eyes before.

"C-Cloud…" she whispered reluctantly. She couldn't trust her voice after witnessing a mind-blowing experience. He'd never done something so courageous, so straightforward before. He did not show any hesitancy or any regret in his actions.

Slowly, she could feel him gently place his forehead against hers, closing his eyes as if reveling the moment they had together. She could feel his arms wrap themselves around her waist as she could feel his body pressed against hers, feeling his warmth and smelling his scent. She felt like she wanted to sleep in his arms forever.

It was right then her mind clicked on that moment, 2 years ago, that night before the final fight against Sephiroth. Cloud and her were left behind as everyone else left to their loved ones. They had nowhere to go after all. To Tifa, Cloud was her only home as long as he was by her side. She remembered the warmth he projected as she slept close to him, nestled up against his shoulder. Even after 2 years, his warmth still felt the same. How she wished that she was with him like that again, sleeping next to him, feeling that security and comfort, no matter the location. She closed her eyes and took in the comforting moment.

Tifa didn't know how long they stayed like that until her mind was returned back to reality by the sound of Cloud's voice.

"What would I do without you?" he asked. She watched him reopen his eyes and looked at her, giving her the same soft look. "How can I repay you, Tifa?"

"_You already have," _she thought fondly. Him being here with her was enough for her. She could never forget that kiss he gave her and the emotions in his eyes.

"Remember what I said back 2 years ago?" she asked, causing Cloud to raise his eyebrows in curiosity. "Actions speak louder than words." She saw revelation struck his eyes the moment she said those words. Slowly, she could see a small smile appear on his lips.

"Besides," Tifa added. "You already have."

Without, a second thought, he leaned in and kissed her once more. In that instant, Tifa felt his feelings then, giving all his feelings into that one kiss. Tifa kissed him back with just as much valor.

"_I want to be by your side," _Tifa thought.

Before long, they were lying on the ground, Tifa being held closely to Cloud as they gazed at the stars above. Tifa felt as if Cloud knew what she wanted as he turned to his side and held her closer. She felt the sleepiness sweep in as she closed her eyes, enjoying the moment they had with each other.

As long as she had Cloud by her side, this was her beautiful world.

...

**Author's Note #2: What do you guys think? I hope it makes sense to you guys. I apologize for any grammar mistakes. I also hope the characters are in character. It's hard to portray them. The one I had trouble with was Cloud. So forgive me for any out-of-character bits. This perspective was mainly from Tifa's point of view. I was thinking of doing Cloud's point of view, but I'm still thinking about it. Anyways, expect more stories from me for FFVII. I have so many ideas for this category. I already written out some ideas. So expect an update from me from time to time. But it will be a while since school is about to begin...bleh. Until next time, have a good day! ^_^ **


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